FNA: Dalea mollis vs. Dalea wrightii

	Dalea mollis	Dalea wrightii
	hairy prairie clover, silky dalea	Wright's dalea, Wright's prairie-clover
Stems	1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.	0.4–2.6(–3.6) dm, eglandular.
Inflorescences	racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.; axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.	spikes, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, 17–23 mm diam.; axis not to partially visible, (1.5–)2–6 cm; bracts deciduous near anthesis, 6–12 mm.
Peduncles	0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.	absent or very short.
Stamens	10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.	10, 10–13 mm, filaments distinct to 1.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.
Corollas	whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous; banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube; wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm; keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 mm.	clear yellow, pinkish or orangish brown in age; papilionaceous; banner 7.8–9.5 mm, blade cordate, 2–3 × 2.4–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached distal to middle of stamen tube; wings 2.6–3.4 × 1.8–2.3 mm; keel connate valvately, blades (2.6–)3–4(–4.2) × 1.6–2.2 mm.
Calyces	± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose; tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.	somewhat asymmetric, slightly recessed opposite banner, (8.5–)9–12.3 mm, densely pilose; tube (2.5–)2.7–3.5 mm, with 4 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose.
Legumes	2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.	2.8–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.
Seeds	1.8–2.2 mm.	2–2.8 mm.
Annual	herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.
Principal	leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm; leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.	leaves 1–3.5 cm; leaflets 5, blades rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, 4–15(–20) mm, surfaces apparently eglandular.
Perennial		herbs, erect to decumbent or ascending, silky-pilose.
2n	= 16 [Mexico].	= 14.

	Dalea mollis	Dalea wrightii
Phenology	Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).	Flowering early spring–fall.
Habitat	Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.	Rocky grasslands, desert slopes, on limestone.
Elevation	-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)	500–1800 m. (1600–5900 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora) [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Dalea wrightii occurs in southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 11.	FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa	Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea	Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea
Sibling taxa	D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii	D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollis, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa
Synonyms		D. wrightii var. warnockii
Name authority	Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)	A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 49. (1852)
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Dalea wrightii

hairy prairie clover, silky dalea

Wright's dalea, Wright's prairie-clover

Stems

1–3.5(–6.5) dm, glandular-tuberculate.

0.4–2.6(–3.6) dm, eglandular.

Inflorescences

racemes, ± densely flowered, pedicels with black, prickleshaped glands at base and toward apex, not involucrate, 8–14 mm diam.;

axis not visible, (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, (3–)4.5–8 mm.

spikes, relatively densely flowered, not involucrate, 17–23 mm diam.;

axis not to partially visible, (1.5–)2–6 cm;

bracts deciduous near anthesis, 6–12 mm.

Peduncles

0.2–2.5(–4.5) cm.

absent or very short.

Stamens

10, 3.5–5.7 mm, filaments distinct to 2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm.

10, 10–13 mm, filaments distinct to 1.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.7 mm.

Corollas

whitish, banner and keel sometimes lilac-tinged; papilionaceous;

banner 3–4.2 mm, blades broadly triangular to suborbiculate-cordate, (1.5–)1.7–2.9 × 2.2–3.2 mm; epistemonous petals attached near or proximal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.1–3 × 1.1–1.4 mm;

keel detaching from stamen tube after anthesis, connate by overlapping margins, blades 2.3–3.4 × 1.4–2 mm.

clear yellow, pinkish or orangish brown in age; papilionaceous;

banner 7.8–9.5 mm, blade cordate, 2–3 × 2.4–3.4 mm; epistemonous petals attached distal to middle of stamen tube;

wings 2.6–3.4 × 1.8–2.3 mm;

keel connate valvately, blades (2.6–)3–4(–4.2) × 1.6–2.2 mm.

Calyces

± symmetric, 3.3–6.6 mm, pilose;

tube 1.6–2.5 mm, with (1 or)2–6 glands between ribs, lobes triangular or triangular-aristate.

somewhat asymmetric, slightly recessed opposite banner, (8.5–)9–12.3 mm, densely pilose;

tube (2.5–)2.7–3.5 mm, with 4 glands between ribs, lobes triangular-aristate, becoming plumose.

Legumes

2.2–2.7 mm, pilosulous distally and dotted with small glands.

2.8–3.5 mm, distally with 2 rows of ascending hairs on either side of a glabrescent row, eglandular.

Seeds

1.8–2.2 mm.

2–2.8 mm.

Annual

herbs, prostrate or decumbent, ± pilose or pilosulous.

Principal

leaves (0.5–)1–3.5 cm;

leaflets (7 or) 9–13 (or 15), blades obovate to obcordate, (2–)3–8 mm, margins ± entire or obscurely undulate.

leaves 1–3.5 cm;

leaflets 5, blades rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, 4–15(–20) mm, surfaces apparently eglandular.

Perennial

herbs, erect to decumbent or ascending, silky-pilose.

= 16 [Mexico].

= 14.

Dalea wrightii

Phenology

Flowering late winter–mid spring (fall–early winter).

Flowering early spring–fall.

Habitat

Sandy or rocky desert slopes, flats, roadsides.

Rocky grasslands, desert slopes, on limestone.

Elevation

-50–700 m. (-200–2300 ft.)

500–1800 m. (1600–5900 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; CA; NV; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora)

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Some collectors assume that Dalea mollis is perennial; the season of bloom can be long in a good year, and individual plants can be robust. Most of the fall and early-winter plants are collected in early bloom; an occasional plant from that time-period is taken in late bloom. Dalea mollis is similar to D. mollissima and mixed collections are relatively common. In California, D. mollis is known from the desert regions in the southeastern part of the state.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Dalea wrightii occurs in southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and trans-Pecos Texas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 11.

Parent taxa

Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalea

Sibling taxa

D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa, D. wrightii

D. albiflora, D. aurea, D. bartonii, D. bicolor, D. brachystachys, D. cahaba, D. candida, D. carnea, D. carthagenensis, D. compacta, D. cylindriceps, D. emarginata, D. enneandra, D. exigua, D. exserta, D. feayi, D. filiformis, D. flavescens, D. foliosa, D. formosa, D. frutescens, D. gattingeri, D. grayi, D. greggii, D. hallii, D. jamesii, D. lachnostachys, D. lanata, D. laniceps, D. lasiathera, D. leporina, D. lumholtzii, D. mollis, D. mollissima, D. multiflora, D. nana, D. neomexicana, D. obovata, D. ornata, D. phleoides, D. pinnata, D. pogonathera, D. polygonoides, D. pringlei, D. pulchra, D. purpurea, D. reverchonii, D. sabinalis, D. scandens, D. scariosa, D. searlsiae, D. tentaculoides, D. tenuifolia, D. tenuis, D. urceolata, D. versicolor, D. villosa

Synonyms

D. wrightii var. warnockii

Name authority

Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 306. (1849)

A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 49. (1852)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

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Dalea mollis

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Dalea mollis

Dalea wrightii